Final promo

Final digipak

Final webpage

http://elliejaydyer95.wix.com/the-drums

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 3: audience feedback video

Question 3: audience feedback - digipak and webpage questionnaires and answers

Digipak Questionnaire

1.    Can you tell what the genre is straight away?

       Yes ||||

       No  |

2.    Is the cover eye catching? And why?

       Yes |||||

       No

       -         The colours contrast

       -         The colours are bold

       -         The font is interesting

       -         The colours are bright

       -         The picture is unique

3.    Do the song names match the genre?

       Yes ||||

       No |

4.    Does the artist’s style reveal the genre?

      Yes |||||

      No

5.    Do you feel the colours used are unisex?

       Yes |||

       No ||

6.    Does the font match the genre?

       Yes |||||

       No

7.    What is your favourite pane and why?

       -          Front cover because it colourful

       -          Disk pane because it shows the artist

       -          Front cover its unique

       -          Front cover its bright

       -          Front cover because its eye catching

Webpage Questionnaire:

1.      Is the home page inviting

   Yes |||||

   No

2.      Are the tabs relevant? If no which one(s)?

   Yes ||||

   No  |

   -          Live

3.      Which is the most useful/important page to you?

   Home

   Media |||

   Live

   Store |

   Social |

4.      Is there a clear link between the 3 products? If not why?

   Yes |||||

   No

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________

5.      Does it look professional and why?

   -          Yes, the effects look good

   -          Yes, the photos look professional

   -          Yes, the effects look professional

   -          Yes, Its laid out like real websites

   -          Yes, the use of media looks professional

6.      Does the website reveal the genre?

   Yes |||||

   No

7.      What’s your favourite thing about the site and why?

   -          The video player

   -          The sign up section

   -          The video player

   -          The photos

   -          The music player

Webpage: First draft

Mrs D

Your question 4 is very sucessful. Well done. You need to condense the ipad sections into one and mention that it is digital rather than visual and explore the benefits like easy to share and get feedback etc. Check the font on your nine frames - it's very difficult to read - try enlarging and changing the font to see if that helps.

Question 2 (script for podcast)

Question 2: Script

How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary texts?

·         The house style is created by colours, fonts and images. The main colours that are used throughout my package are blue, yellow, and black and white. The black and white filter within my promo reflects the black background on my webpage and the black and white images on my digipak. The blue and yellow appears on my digipak cover and its text as well as on the webpage.

·         Repetition is also created though the images. The location of the promo is found in photos of my artist, location on and in my digipak and on the media page of my webpage. The Front cover of my digipak is very bold and eye catching. I used it as the header photo on my webpage and used the front cover on the media page with ‘release dates’ next to it to increase the amount of ways I promote my artist and package.

·         I feel that all 3 of my products reveal the indie/pop genre clearly. The main way I feel I revealed the genre is through the styling of my artist and the other actor in the promo. ‘Levi’ the artist wears a bold shirt, hat, rolled up jeans with vans. I conformed to the stereotype of the ‘indie’style. All of the artists clothing was fairly mainstream and therefore the audience can relate to him and be inspired by his style. The girl in the promo is also wearing indie style clothing which would attract the female audience as well as the male.

·         The colours and photos revealed the genre also. The photos of the artist can be found on the digipak and webpage. The blue and yellow graffiti in the background of the main photo give off and edgy look. In my opinion ‘edgy is a connotations of indie music. The photos of my artist show he is unique, well dressed and working class. I feel this is important as pop music comes across as materialistic yet my artist comes across as relatable and chilled out and therefore matching the behaviour of indie music.

·         All 3 of my product link as my digipak cover is shown on my webpage, the URL for my website is on the digipak, the promo is displayed on the webpage and the location of the promo appears in all 3.

Question 2 (background Prezi)

Music promo: third draft

Question 4

Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

Script

1.
The opening scene to my promo reveals the location of the ‘love story’. This helps narrate the
story and links to the title of the song whilst ensuring the song, promo and artist are
remembered especially as the opening and closing scenes of music videos should stick in
peoples minds. I panned the camera when shooting this clip to show the whole lake and when
editing slowed it down to match the pace of the music and its peaceful sound.
2.
This clip consists of the first half of the chorus which is repeated after each verse. The
repetition effect increases the chance of the viewer remembering the whole package which
is essential for promoting the artist, their music, and their products. The close up of
‘Levi’s’ face and upper body shows his style matching the genre of the song as well as his
emotions and reveal his style. This is essential as the love song consists of diverse emotions.
3.
This clip is the second half of the last chorus. The visuals match the lyrics “carry you all the way
home”. This is a code/convention of music videos, especially within the indie/pop genre as from the results of my research show, most of the music revolves around love. The long/body shot again reveals the style of both actors therefore appealing to the female audience increasing the audience market and promotion of the artist.
4.
This long shot reveals not only the artists which helps with promotion but his clothing and the
location which is subtly repeated throughout the promo creating repetition and linking to the title of
the song meaning the visuals match the lyrics, a technique that is a code and convention of music videos and therefore makes my promo more realistic and successful. Because we can see his whole body and clothing the fans/viewers will know the genre of the song as well as being able to relate and be inspired by his style adding to the positive promotion of the artist.
5.
This short clip is an extreme close up of the artists mouth. He sings the word ‘Forever’. This is
is effective as its short and snappy so the slow paced song doesn’t become boring.it follows a long shot of the arrtist walking by ‘the water’ so they two camera angles create a contrast amd therefore becoming eye catching.
6.
This medium long shot of my artist skimming stones across the ‘water’ is effective as it shows his body language, emotions, clothing and the location. All of these factors are essential for revealing the genre, promoting the artist and narrating the story withinnmy promo. Whilst editing I slowed it down to match the pace of the music and emphasise his lonliness by showing each second he is without his lover seems a lifetime. It is also taken from the side which is unusual in love songs as they use many close ups and usually of the artists face and emotions. Therefore I have challenged forms and conventions which I feel was successful.
7.
This clip is the climax of emotion. it is a close of of the couple holding hands and the girl letting go and leaving the artist. I feel that the close up was effective as the emotion on the artists face was not needed to show his sadness as the music reveals this enough. Emphasising sadness is a stereotypical factor in love songs and within the indie/pop genre therefore I have conformed to a convention in my product.
8.
This clip is a second part of a chorus. It is a stereotypical shot. A close up of a couple sitting by the water. I have used codes and conventions of and indie/pop love song here as it is stereotypically pop yet conforms to the styling of indie artists. As the audience can see rthe back of the couple its almost like they are there overlooking the situation therefore connecting the audience to the artist.
9.
The ending scene is important. I decided to end the promo on a slight cliff hanger to create a good story and keep the viewer wanting more from the artist. it starts with a close up of the artist sitting alone and looking sad by the water his emotions are clear. I then zoom out to the lake and pan the location and end with a fade to black. This adds to the repetition and matches the begining of the promo as well as linking the visuals to the lyrics throughout and therefore developing the codes and conventions of the indie/pop genre.

Webpage: Third draft (media page)

Webpage: Third draft (home page)

Digipak: Fifth draft

Dolby

This is looking much more like an album now and I like the images. Make sure the text is easy to read on the back- think about how to integrate text and image clearly. Do you want to have black and white for all 4 panes or could you use some colour in places for variety?

Promo: 2nd Draft

Digipak: Fourth Draft

Digipak: Third draft

The changes that were made to the second draft included colours, photos and text. I have completed most of the text for my back cover. Here I have creates names for the album along with Down By the Water. The names imply most of them are love songs which matches the song I am focusing on. It also gives the listener an insight to what the band/artist is like as a person by the way they write and name songs. I changed the colour scheme of the spine and inside CD page to green from red. The green looks better and matches the images. However this might change as I need to create an album not just a single, but I feel that the cover image and CD image are useable. The next step in the construction of my Digipak will include new images, more text and possibly a new name for the band or artist. I need to decide if I want to keep the 'band' concept or change it to an individual artist. I think changing to an artist would be better as in my promo only the singer is seen as well as in my photos I have taken so far. It will also be a good as I will need to find a new name for my artist that must be catchy and instantly reveals the genre of the music.

Digipak: Third draft

Mrs D

The draft of your web homepage is coming together nicely. The font choices are good and the image works well. Don't forget that it is a webpage to promote the album not just the single and think about other links to other media.

Webpage: Second draft

My Webpage so far has been easy to develop due to the results of my real media artifact research. My layout is simple, accessible and has all the information the audience need to know. I like my font choice. I feel it represents the band/artists style and the genre of the music. The colour scheme is fairly masculine to reveal the gender of the band/artists at matches the main image that is found of the top half of the page throughout the website. However this might change as I need to take more photos of my actor perhaps not at the location of the promo as I need to promote the band/artist just as much if not more than just the promo. So far I have fully developed the layout of the homepage and all of the tabs. I need to complete the homepage by adding more text, a photo or maybe by adding the song I am focusing on for the audience to hear as soon as they enter the site. The media page will eventually include music, photos and the complete music video for Down By the Water this will conform most music based website hat have media pages.

Webpage: Second draft

Digipak: First draft

Digipak: Second draft

I am definitely getting somewhere with my Digipak now. The front cover font has been chosen and possibly the photo. The two different fonts used on the cover so far really contrast with each other. 'The' is written in a swirly text which reveals the femininity of the lyrics the band sings as well as representing the female part of there target market so that masculinity does not dominate the cover. The 'Drums' which is written in traditional bold text which reveals the gender of the band. I have decided to have the text black as black is a connotation of the indie/pop genre and is a unisex colour therefore would not put off either sex buying the album. The image on the cover is simple. The artist is clear in the foreground surrounded by woodland in the background which links slightly to the location. The clothing the artist is wearing is the same as what appears ism the promo. This creates a repetition and makes the Digipak more recognisable to the buyer if they have seen the promo. The  clothes are accurately stereotypically indie and casual therefore the audience can relate to the artist when considering style.

To create repetition throughout the Digipak I created a new colour that come from my artists hat. I used this colour on the spine and inside CD cover and red is also a connotation of the genre as well as being a unisex colour. The inside CD cover is a photo of the lake that is used in the promo. This adds to the repetition that will make the product more recognisable and also relates to the song title and its lyrics. The background colour behind the CD is the same colour red that is found in the spine and on the colour of my artists hat which again adds to the repitition. The back cover and inside cover image are not my final images howver they are helping me plan where to place my text. The back cover text will be white and on the left hand side just like a traditional Digipak. My next draft will include my possible final images and the majority of the text.

Digipak: Second draft

Mrs D

There are some good reflections here, but you need to upload some ancillary drafts as the deadline is next week.

Day 7 of filming: Reflection

This mornings filming session was successful. The weather was good therefore creating a food atmosphere for my footage. I managed to re-shoot both the scenes that were needed and captured an extra one consisting of my actor singing. I also got some photos to include in my ancillary. I got a few good shots but the sun made my actor squint and made the images slightly over exposed so next filming session I will try a different area of my location. Overall this session went well and I am a step closer to completing my next draft.

Day 7 of filming: Planning

A lot of work needs to be done on this session. Due to the bad weather yesterday I am behind. I need to re shoot 2 scenes of my actor looking sad and alone as when they were first shot he had a jumper over the top of his shirt therefore there would be no continuity. Along with the re shoots I need to take more photos of my artist in front the water to reveal the link from the location to the name of the song. I decided to have this session in the morning as the sun should be out and a sunny winter morning would create a great atmosphere.

Day 6 of filming: Reflection

Today's filming session was not very successful. The rain caused me not to film as the equipment would have got wet and the rain and excessive cloud created a terrible atmosphere for what I want. Due to the rain I also didn't get any images as rain would have made the scenery look gloomy which would make the cover of my Digipak in appealing.

Day 6 of filming: Plan

As I need to re-shoot today getting the footage of my actor alone and sad will be the priority of the session along with taking for photos for my Digipak and Webpage. The weather forecast is overcast so hopefully I will be able to get the majority of this done.

Day 5: reflection

I captured a fair amount of footage of my actor being alone and sad however I feel that my actors face is not on camera enough and therefore isn't being promoted enough so I will need to re-shoot. As another class members filming ran over I didn't manage to get any more images therefore this will be done in my next filming session.

Day 5 filming: Plan

In this filming session my aim is to get a lot of footage of my actor by himself being lonely which will contrast with the footage of him and me being happy therefore narrating the story. I also need to take more still images for my ancillary task.

Dolby

The use of black and white and the framing is lovely. Try and get some more footage up and maybe contrast with some colour scenes or get pace in some way through editing tokeep it more interesting.

Promo: first draft

Editing: Day 1

My first time editing my footage via the Macs mainly consisted around getting to grips with the software. It was challenging however i eventually picked it up and started uploading and capturing my footage. I also uploaded my track and i dont feel that it needs cutting down. The track is 3 minutes and 24 seconds i feel that this is a good amount of time to reveal the artist, the genre, the story and style therefore it is unlikely that i will cut the song down. My progress so far includes the uploading of the track and the first scene i filmed which consists of my actor singing. I matched the scene up to the music quite easily and added a cross fade at the beggining and end which creates the sad mood i want to narrate the story. I also played around with the effects and i and considering having my promo in black and white due to the nature of the song.

Day 4 of filmimg: refllection

Yesterdays filming session was a great success. I got all four of my planned scenes done. The first scene needed quite a bit rehearsing as we wanted to get the timing of the singing perfect. My actor worked very hard yesterday and we managed to get around 3 minutes of filming done. Luckily it wasnt raining so the location will not look overly different whennit comes to putting the scenes together. I tried out different shots on the last scene. i focused on my 'artist' and his emotions (which promotes the artist and empphasises the narrative) then panned out the the lake ('water') which again matches the narrative. I feel that most of the timings are accurate, the shots promote the artist and help narrate the song therefore overall yesterday was the best filming session i have done so far. I also managed to capture a few photos of my 'artist' however they were slightly rushed and i may re think the location.

Day 4 of filming

As i got no filming done on tuesday my plan for my next filming session is to re shoot two scenes that were slightly blurred and slightly too short. I also need to film the final scene of my promo and another scene of my actor singing. Once this is done the rest of my filming will be of me and the actor, but as i have already shot two ofg those scene i have the majority of my first draft completed. If this session goes to plan i will be confident on meeting my dealine.

Day 3 of filming: reflection

Yesterday's filming didn't go to plan as I didn't get any filming done due to another class members filming over ran, but he got a lot of work done so it was worth it. However I have the camera booked out for today and have the scenes planned out so there is no reason for me to not get my re shoot and final scenes done. The weather down by the lake will probably be misty and cold like yesterday which won't overly match my previous scenes but hopefully the sun will come out, but if it doesn't I will have to try and draw attention away from the sky which shouldn't be hard as the promotion of the artist is the most important thing anyway.

Day 3 of filming

Today I will attempt to do a re shoot of my actor singing half a verse. It needs re shooting due to the camera being out of focus and the the camera was over exposed. However I do not not have priority over the camera today as another member of my class has more work to be done and I also feature in his promo therefore I am wiling to him help him but hopefully I will get my the shoot done today.

Day 2 of filming: Reflection

Yesterday afternoons filming session went well. I completed 2 more scenes. The weather turned out ok which is good as it means the first scene i filmed won't look out of place. In todays lesson i will upload the footage and edit it. I feel that my filming is going well. My actor has been working hard and i think i will only need to have 2-3 more filming session and then maybe 1 more session for re-shooting if it is needed. I have captured one photo so far so i will need to take some more on my next shoot which is planned to be monday.

Moving image 2nd draft

Day 2 of filming

Thursday afternoon: I will try to film the three chorus shots today as the weather is good enough to create the right atmopshere for the scenes. If i complete the chorus filming today i will only need to have 2-3 more filming session. Today i will be needed to be filmed therefore i have asked someone to help me film. the camera will be on a tripod and i will focus and place the camera to how i want. I will also tell the person who is filming the basics of the camera to ensure my shots do not go wrong.

Day 1 of filming: Reflection

Tuesday afternoon was my first day of filming. I filmed roughly a minutes worth of useable footage. I filmed Dan (my male character) on a wooden pontoon right beside the water. The setting and weather was perfect. The sun was out and refelcted off of the water and the ducks in the background created a great atmosphere, however i do not think the weather will be as good during the rest of my filming sessions so i will have to plan filming around the weather.

Mrs D

Your planning for your webisite looks good and has clear links to your research. Please put some filming and editing reflection up asap.

Web page explanation & Wix

For the web page part of my ancillary task i will construct it via 'wix' which is a free software that will allow me to create a fully working website to promote my band and their music. I will start from scratch with my web page therefore i will be adding, text, photos, music, videos as well as creating my own colour scheme, layout and fonts. This will allow me to reveal my bands genre via the web page and make it look appealing to the target audience.

I have started my layout for my web page. i have decided to have a big image on the home page to ensure the audience know who's website they are on and to promote them. Below the image will be essential information about the band to introduce them to new audiences and for the already fans to learn a little more about the band. I have created four additional pages to the home page, media, live, store and social.

The media page is essential as during my real media artefact's research i found that 99% of the websites had a media page. The page will include photos of the band, links to tracks, and i will also display my music promo for Down By the Water when it is completed. This page is a great way to get people listening to more of the bands music, buying more of the bands music and via the photos get to know more about the bands style and genre.

The live page will give the audience concert information like dates, times, places and where to buy tickets from. This is useful for the fans as instead of searching the Internet they can just click the links on the official site and know their purchase would be legitimate. This page will not contain much content but i feel it is necessary to bring the audience closer to the band and would be useful.

The store page is also another way of bringing the audience closer to the band. During my research i found lots of websites with a store page. Merchandise is a great way of promoting a band through and accessories as well as something other than music for the fans to buy from their favourite band.

The social page will be a great way of promoting the band and their music. The target audience roughly ranges from 15-22 therefore the vast majority of these people will use at least one social networking site. Facebook and Twitter would be the two focuses for my social page as they are the most used. Links to the bands Facebook and Twitter pages would be displayed on the page as well as fans tweets. This page would be a great way to connect the fans to the band and each other. Social networking sites are also a great promotional strategy as people talk about music through them and share You Tube links and images.

The best way i could promote the bands website for people who didn't know about it would be to put it on the back of my Digipak.

Casting

Now I have taken a second look at the lyrics and my storyboard, the female character in my promo is not overly important and it has been hard to find a female character also, therefore when the female character is needed I will appear in the promo and another member of the class will help me film. I have given the male character the lyrics to learn and explained his role so hopefully rehearsal time will be at a minimum. I am excited to start filming and get to grips with the camera.

Mrs D

The storyboard is a good first draft Ellie. You need to go back to the lyrics - you have put in your blog that it is about unconditional love and feeling alone - you haven't reflected this in your storyboard. It is very 'safe' and there is no camera movement. Check the mark scheme and go back to RMAs for help.

Dolby

Go back to your schedule and be more detailed

Moving image 1st draft

Storyboard

Calendar

Dolby

Lots of good general ideas here. Now look specifically at colour schemes, layouts and images that you are going to use- go over the mark schemes for print and web to make sure that you are looking at the areas for assessment.

Props

Mood Board: Props on Prezi

Webpage plan (Home page)

Webpage ideas

Digipak ideas

Casting and letter

My music promo will be a narrative love story. If I can find two people willing to act as a couple I will need a male and female character. However if I am wasting time trying to find a female willing to help I will just use a male. This won't be a major problem as the male character would be the most dominant part anyway.

This will be sent to the cast to gain permission for me to film/photograph them for my music promo:

Hello, for my A2 media coursework I will be making a music video. I would like you to be a character in the video so I will be filming and possibly taking photos of you. I am planning on filming my video at Horseshoe Lake so it is local. The female character will only need to smile and walk the male character will only need to do the same as well as lip sync but both characters will need to act like a couple and wear indie looking clothes. If the timings and song are rehearsed this should not take up a lot of your time. I hope you are interested and up for helping me make a great music video.

Sign here to confirm that you want to take part:


Thanks, Ellie

Webpage (written) plan

Creating a webpage for my band would promote the promo, song and band well. By researching similar genre bands/artists websites I can compare them and learn skills and techniques they have used to apply to my product.

The websites I analysed, Friendly Fires, Florence and the Machine and my chosen band The Drums. By analysing these webpages I have learnt what additional pages I will need to include to ensure the audience can see all the information they need. 

All three web pages I analysed had a media page which let the viewer watch the bands/artists music videos, view exclusive pictures and listen to music content. I will create a media page on the website as it will bring the audience closer to the band as they can directly find the music they want on the website rather than having to search the Internet. 

The colour scheme is important too. I will use the same/similar colours as I will on and in my Digipak to create repetition and make the website recognisable to fans therefore all of my products will link and the audience will recognise the branding.

My Webpage needs to be simple looking and user friendly. All of the websites I analysed and have seen start with a home page and have around three to five links at the top of the page that reveal more information. To make my webpage and simple as possible but including the essential information I will start with a home page plus three other links to different pages, including a media page.

Font Ideas

Product Placement

For my A2 media coursework I will be creating a music promo, Digipak and Webpage. My chosen song is Down By The Water by The Drums who are an American indie/pop group. The song is based on love therefore my video will be a narrative based piece.My research has and will help me throughout the making of my music promo, Digipak and Webpage. I have learnt about codes and conventions of my specific chosen genre. I know who my target audience is and how I need to attract them with the use of colour, styling and Mise en scene. My character will look stereo typically 'indie' by being dressed alternatively and the way the target audience are likely to dress. in my promo i will also include a guitar as this is a visual stereotype of both indie and pop genre music videos. I also have learnt how fonts colours and images can reveal a genre therefore to ensure my genre is obvious and clear I will use stereotypical elements of 'indie style' in my work.

I feel that the best placement for my digipak would be in a music store like HMV and online. The best place online to sell my product would be via 'itunes' and on my bands webpage. the majority of people who do not download music illegally download their music off 'itunes'. It is popular, successful, reliable and sell all different types of music. Selling my digipak in HMV would also be successful as for the part of the target market that would rather physically buy the CD HMV is the biggest and most well known music store.

The placement for my music video will be on music channels on TV and via the Internet. The best channel for my video is MTV Rock as its a popular channel and doesn't just show what's it the charts but the best of indie and rock music. I feel that TV would be good publicity for the track and band as alternative genres are becoming more popular in the music industry. I also think the promo would get seen by being showed on the bands Webpage and on YouTube and indie music isn't a very popular genre therefore fans are more likely to have to look for music. The product placement for my music promo is important as indie music focuses on the fans and the music rather than the money so promoting the genre is important.

Digipak plan

The colour scheme i will use will be determined by the photos i take of the location as i want to match the colour on the digipak with the colours in the photos. Two to three images will be used in my digipak. one on the cover, one on the back cover and possibly one to cover the actual disk.

Digipak written plan

Before planning and creating my Digipak I needed to research into indie/pop and rock advertising techniques within their products. This will help me create an eye catching album with the right colour scheme, fonts, images and stereotypical characteristics of indie/pop music to ensure the genre is clear

The first album Digipak I researched and analysed was Florence and the Machine's Lungs. The supporting band for this indie/pop group a few years ago was The Drums therefore analysing this album will help me compare my Digipak to theirs as the genre is the same. From analysing this product I have learnt that certain fonts conform to a certain sex and that it is effective to connect the album name to the images.

The second Digipak I analysed was The Kooks 'Inside In Inside Out'. This album is traditionally indie/rock and from I've learnt that a simple front cover is effective and that the colour scheme is important to reveal the genre and remind the audience of the band.

The other Digipak I looked at was alternative artist Lana Del Rey . Analysing 'Born To Die' was beneficial as it is current, similar genre and successful. The text is large on the cover but the femininity of the artist is dominant therefore to ensure both the image and text are equally dominant in my work I will find a balance with the use of colour, font and contrast.

The colour scheme for my Digipak will be predominantly male. Blue, black, grey and green are colours I may use as they are fairly dark and therefore conforms to the edgy sound of indie music. Plus my images will are likely to be of the location I want to film my promo in which is by a lake so the colours will match nicely to the cover image.

The font I will use is essential for revealing the genre and gender of the band. The font I will use would be straight to avoid it looking feminine. The colour of the font needs to create a contrast with the background image to make it stands out. White would be the best colour to use as my background is likely to be dark and I is a unisex colour so I don't overload my Digipak with masculinity as the band has both a make and female target market.

The image/images that I will use in my products will come shot photos I will capture during my filming of my promo. This will ensure the lyrics and visuals match. The repetition will make the promo and the song be remembered.

Mrs D

The prezis look good. Would just one for mes work rather than lots of little ones?

Costume/Style

Mood board: Costume/Style on Prezi

Dolby

Good work Ellie; just make sure you are using the labels correctly so your blog is easy to navigate(this is part of Research and planning marks)

Location

Mood Board: Location on Prezi

Music Promo RMA 3: The Drums - Let's Go Surfing

Lets Go Surfing by The Drums is a performance based music video. The video consists of the band performing the song on a beach and running on the beach. The video is basic and does not use many camera angles or techniques. However this is why it's effective. Because the video is simple the focus is on the band and their music rather than a story. The genre is clear due the bands styling. Skinny jeans, messed up hair and vintage t-shirts are three examples of stereotypical clothes that create the indie/rock genre.

The connection between the music and the visuals is important as this technique makes up for the lack of camera shots. The connections are strong and therefore obvious. One example is when the line "Honey, take a run down to the beach" is played, the band run across the beach. Also the line "I'll never let you go" is repeated towards the end of song and as its sung each band member stops running one by one and fades into the background darkness. The other obvious connection is the location of the beach matching the the name of the song.

There are only 2 cuts in the video and minimal camera angles. However the band and the performance of there song is captured. are shots of the guitars and the drums, but no real close ups of one of the instruments. The unusual lack of cuts is strange but works with the location and lyrics. I feel that the long sequenced video and lack of cuts made the video unique and reveals a lot about the personalities of the band as they appear not to be glamorous and materialistic. This is shown through the basic location and lack of content as The music is more important than a story.

Overall I feel the unusual choice of no cuts was successful. The focus is the music not the story which shows the passion of the band and promotes their personalities as well as there music. Analysing this video will benefit the making of my promo as I've learnt about the diversity within music videos.

Digipak RMA 3: Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

The front cover of this album is dominantly female. The text is big, bold and eye catching. The red text at the bottom contrasts with her white shirt therefore drawing attention to the name of the album. the red also matchs her red lipstick which emphasises her femininity and connotes love, lust and passion which are are feminine words. The white text at the top is big and in capitals. The thick white writing contrasts with the blue sky and the red writing. The photo of Lana Del Rey is dominant. Her head is placed infront of the text to show her importance and to show she is the artist. There is not much going on in the background which is done to ensure no attention is drawn away from the artist and her beauty. The genre indie/pop isnt yet revealed. However her hair, make up and clothes do slightly give her and indie looking style. The red white and blue colours on the cover also represent her country, America.

The CD is effectively basic. The white background contrasts with the red roses. Red is the colour of blood and therefore a connotation of death. The red in roses match the album name 'Born to die' because of their connotations. The colours on the disk conform to the house style of the digipak As roses and the colour red are feminine they reveal the artists gender.

The house colours are repeated on the back cover and the spine also. The dominant, eye catching red background draws attention to the track listing which is in white. The contrasting black text at the bottom shows a bonus track. Therefore it is written in black to stand out and make the audience think they are getting something extra as well as the album. The colours on the spine, red, white and black are used here and all over the digipak to conform to the house style and create a repetitive effect to ensure the album is recognisable.

Webpage RMA 1, 2 and 3

Webpage RMA Analysis 1, 2 and 3 on Prezi

Music Promo RMA 2: Florence and the Machine - Dog Days (2008 Original)

The colourful music promo Dog Days by Florence and the Machine is unusually a concept, narrative and performance based video, however the most dominant is performance. This effect reveals the artists quirky style and shows off her talents. The video was not professionally produced. Florence Welch, the vocalist, produced the (original) video and used her family and friends as characters in the quirky video. This also shows her talent.

The lyrics 'the dog days are over' suggest that good is to come and the bad times are over. This could reflect on the artists life which connects the audience to the artist. The song overall is uplifting and positive and the video extends this with the use of vibrant colours and bold styling. The visuals match the lyrics well. One example is when we see Florence running away from the people we hear "run fast for your mother, run fast for your father". Another example of this is when we see all of the characters hiding and revealing themselves from behind trees the lyrics say "hid around corners". This effect creates a storyline. The concept if the video is very fairy tale like which reveals the artists personality. The music starts when we first the Florence. This is significant as this is when the story starts.

The camera angles are important as they create the suspense in the story. The most effective examples are the use of unusual angles and jumps cuts that create a faster pace matching the pace of the music. Also the use of slow motion is also used to match the pace of the music and this is effective to help emphasise the narrative so that the audience can clearly see what is going on. The location is set in a woodland area which adds to the fairy tale like story. The long shots reveal the setting well which helps the narrative. Close ups are used a lot and are focused on the artist to connect the audience to her. Another interesting camera angle is the panning of the characters. The camera pans left (backwards) while the lyrics are saying "no turning back".

At the beginning of the video clapping noises are mad the characters and hitting sticks together to make the same noise. This example of the music matching the visuals make the audience focus of the music as well as the lyrics and moving image. When the song gets to it climax and the artist sings louder, the visuals keep up by all of the characters frantically dancing. This creates an uplifting mood and the indie/pop genre is revealed.

Overall the video is a good mixture of concept performance and narrative as it has a storyline, the vocalist shows off her talent and the video is interesting and quirky to match the genre. The fairy tale like story line matches the instruments and creates a feminine atmosphere.